
Battleground
1949

Having a wonderful time In Tokyo!
Nick Condon, an American journalist in 20s Tokyo, publishes the Japanese master plan for world domination. Reaction from the understandably upset Japanese provides the action, but this is overshadowed by the propaganda of the time.

Nick Condon, an American journalist in 20s Tokyo, publishes the Japanese master plan for world domination. Reaction from the understandably upset Japanese provides the action, but this is overshadowed by the propaganda of the time.
James CagneyNick Condon
Sylvia SidneyIris Hilliard
Porter HallArthur Bickett
John EmeryPremier Gilchi Tanaka
Robert ArmstrongCol Hideki Tojo
Wallace FordOllie Miller
Rosemary DeCampEdith Miller
John HalloranCapt. Oshima
Leonard StrongHijikata
James BellCharley Sprague
Marvin MillerYamada
Rhys WilliamsJoseph Cassell
Frank PugliaPrince Tatsugi
Grace LemAmah
Harold MillerBar Patron (uncredited)
Philip AhnSecret Police Capt. Yomamoto (uncredited)
Hugh BeaumontJohnny Clarke (uncredited)
















James Cagney is a journalist in pre-war Tokyo who gets embroiled in a tussle between the forces of Imperial aggression led by John Emery ("Tanaka") and those of peaceful conciliation headed by "Prince Tatsugu" (Frank Puglia). When the expansionists realise that Cagney is not going to play along - after bribery/threats and blackmail all fail to convince him; his very life is soon in peril - made worse once he is given a letter from the Prince that his opponents need back at all costs. Made at the end of WWII, it is a pretty obvious slice of propaganda, though it is tempered by some respect for the decent Japanese who did not want war, and it reflects their sense of "honour" in quite an interesting fashion - is it to the glory of the ancestors or just glorified cowardice? Cagney carries this pretty much single handedly. Marvin Miller is quite menacing as the dastardly "Yamada" too, but Sylvia Sidney as the plotting "Iris" doesn't remotely carry off her task as a scheming double-dealer and Rhys Williams ought to have stuck to his more jovial roles - he never could carry off meatier parts. The budget went on the star, the technical aspects of this leave quite a bit to be desired. It's a straight-up goodies v baddies film and nothing more complex than that...

Availability for your region. Streaming data provided by JustWatch.

1949

1944

2012

2002

1983

2013

1945

1962

2007

2020

2015

2006

1975

2017

2025

2009

1962

2026

2011

2014